He also pulled off an armed robbery of the Aloha Roller Palace. San Jose City Council unanimously approves plans involving the San Jose He demanded $10 million from his brothers to compensate him for violating the purported secret Bay 101 deal. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. Or at least he thought he didn't. "I'm a big boy." Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. George Bumb Sr., an avid card player, held a regular weekly family poker game at his home. The card club has done more than bring unwanted public scrutiny to this insular group. The only reason we are driving around in his Lexus today is because he knows I have read the bizarre and bitter contents of a 2-foot-high stack of documents down at the Santa Clara County Superior Courthouse. "I'm a big boy." Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. So Jeff, Brian and the remaining non-family partners backed out of Bay 101, handing everything over to Tim and George Jr. Tim and George Jr. would appeal and reapply, the hope being that the club would open as soon as possible. Police reports would suggest she had, "for about a year," been giving "blow jobs" to 19-year-old Matthew Bumb, son of George Bumb Jr. Deputy chief Tom Wheatley says that police wondered if Venzon, or someone, destroyed the barrel to prevent a ballistics test from tracing a fired bullet to the gun. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. "They had to find Snow White and Cinderella," Tim Bumb says, "and that was George and I." George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." During the Venzon investigation, San Jose police dug up an old file from November 1990 in which Venzon, a sheriff's deputy, had reported his department-issued Smith & Wesson 9 mm automatic stolen. It wasn't the idea of gambling. But his dream, which now seemed so close to being a reality, was about to become a nightmare. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." At the time, San Jose, like cities throughout the state, was strapped for cash, looking at an $11 million budget shortfall. Most of George Bumb Sr.'s five dozen grandchildren have grown up in the 95127 ZIP code and have attended the family-run K-12 Catholic school, St. Thomas More, located on Flea Market grounds since 1978. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. The ensuing delay forced Jeff Bumb to lay off 600 workers he had hired. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. And as with any divorce, embarrassing private details about the family and its businesses made their way into the public record. I'm on the hook for $15 million. You think this didn't break my heart?" In February 1994, nearly one year after the San Jose City Council gave Bay 101 its blessing, the state denied the Bumbs and their partners' gaming license application. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. "My issue with [George Bumb Sr.]," Jeff Bumb complains about his father, "was his control of where you lived, what kind of house you bought, where your children went to school, who your friends are, whether your children went to college, who they would marry, what kind of wedding they would have." Christopher Gardner Along the way, Jeff raised the ante, hiring Frank Ubhaus, a lawyer who represented Garden City card club, Bay 101's crosstown rival. Soon after his confession, the word started spreading in the family about what happened. Deputy chief Tom Wheatley says that police wondered if Venzon, or someone, destroyed the barrel to prevent a ballistics test from tracing a fired bullet to the gun. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. The couple even had a purchase contract for a $850,000 house on Golf Links Road. "I mean," Jeff later said at a deposition, "it was a time of hurt and heartache for us--and not my father, not my mother, not my brother George, not my brother Tim, not Brian could care less." He also disputes that such a letter was even necessary for Jeff to get licensed. At one point in the investigation, sheriff's detectives had Jeff's daughter call Matthew while he was working at the Flea Market to confirm the sexual activities. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff entertained offers to buy the club, the highest bid, he recalls, coming in at $40 million. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill. On Nov. 8, 1995, attorney Albin Danell, Elizabeth's brother-in-law, contacted the police, apparently after consulting with Elizabeth. In fact, Tim and George had to agree not to collaborate with other Bumbs on any new business venture. Of the four brothers, Tim and George had faced the least resistance from state gaming officials. When he was jailed, the desperate cop wrote a 15-page handwritten letter in pencil to George Bumb in May 1997 asking the Flea Market owner to bail him out. And then, just when it seemed as though family relations couldn't get any worse, they did. You think this didn't break my heart?" "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." She told police about at least seven other sexual encounters she had with her cousin after that. You think this didn't break my heart?" And Jeff himself had been playing poker since he was 12. George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. Deputy chief Tom Wheatley says that police wondered if Venzon, or someone, destroyed the barrel to prevent a ballistics test from tracing a fired bullet to the gun. At the time, Jeff was in the midst of negotiating an arrangement to be bought out of the family businesses. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. You think this didn't break my heart?" But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Toward the end of the call, things got heated. Originally he was scheduled for questioning on March 10, 1997, but the old man's lawyers explained that their client was extremely ill, suffering from "severe life-threatening conditions," practically on his death bed. Well, George, whether you want to believe it or not I do love you and you are like a father to me." George Bumb Jr., the quiet one with a flair for things mechanical, was already at the controls of Air One Helicopter. Hamilton, where Latin mass is conducted on a regular basis. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. Jeff Bumb says he believes that state and local investigators at the time of Bay 101's limbo were investigating a rumor that Jeff had tried to get someone killed, a charge Jeff denies. After learning of the incident, Jeff and wife Elizabeth did not report the matter to police immediately. In February 1994, nearly one year after the San Jose City Council gave Bay 101 its blessing, the state denied the Bumbs and their partners' gaming license application. Some improprieties did turn up: Bumb & Associates, a partnership including the four brothers and their father, had failed to file required reports disclosing more than $100,000 in political contributions made between 1989 and 1992. She recalled that she was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt covered by a blanket. The gambling palace Jeff Bumb--the oldest son who is often described as the most entrepreneurial of the four brothers--had in mind was going to take a lot of effort and political skill. The state, still busy conducting background checks, still hadn't approved the Bumbs and their partners' gaming licenses. Tim now runs Bay 101, which he says is no easy task. Jeff himself was hit with a federal grand jury investigation over financial transactions in connection with a multimillion-dollar residential development near Silver Creek Road. Near the end Venzon writes, "They want to bring up the 'murder-for-hire' investigation again. Most of George Bumb Sr.'s five dozen grandchildren have grown up in the 95127 ZIP code and have attended the family-run K-12 Catholic school, St. Thomas More, located on Flea Market grounds since 1978. "We made it very clear to Jeff and everybody else concerned," Tim says, "that I'm not going to stick my neck on the line here. Jeff tells the story differently: "Matthew was my godson. The investigation was given a shot in the arm after the arrest of Johnny Venzon in 1997, a cop who made headlines for burglarizing homes while on duty to pay for his mounting gambling debts. Some improprieties did turn up: Bumb & Associates, a partnership including the four brothers and their father, had failed to file required reports disclosing more than $100,000 in political contributions made between 1989 and 1992. "They didn't teach anything about this. Finally, in July 1994, the state cleared Tim and George and gave them a conditional OK to let the games begin. "He worked for me." It did the unthinkable: But Jeff says that privately he and his brothers had an oral agreement--which Tim Bumb now corroborates--that would one day let him repurchase his shares and become a partner in Bay 101 again. FROM THE protected confines of his silver 1998 Lexus SC 400, Jeff Bumb peers out his window to take in the imposing sight of the 72,000-square-foot salmon-hued house of cards he once called his baby. EVERY DAY THE CLUB stayed closed, the Bumbs lost more money. But Jeff says the loan dispute screwed up their moving plans. Realizing that, Jeff offered to pay higher card-room taxes (next year the city expects to collect $4.5 million from Bay 101) and pick up the tab for security. AN ATTORNEY involved likened the whole contentious affair to a divorce. Originally he was scheduled for questioning on March 10, 1997, but the old man's lawyers explained that their client was extremely ill, suffering from "severe life-threatening conditions," practically on his death bed. attorney Frank Ubhaus asked the Bumb patriarch. Matthew Bumb's attorney argued that the relationship was consensual. We've made it not only necessary but acceptable for women to make the first move, shaking up outdated gender norms. "Hell, no," George Bumb replied. Eight days after the molestation incident was reported to police--and one day after Jeff Bumb formally refused his father's $6.9 million buyout offer--George Bumb Sr. sent Jeff a curt typewritten memo informing Jeff that he was terminated effective immediately and had to clean out his desk before 5pm. ALL TOGETHER, the intrafamily litigation has spanned nearly three years. (Tim Bumb, the school's director, says it was put there to save on rent. Behind the scenes, the Bumbs suspected their potential gambling competitors and a disgruntled former Flea Market employee of giving investigators unsubstantiated material to use against them. "My wife broke the code," he says, "and I supported her." Jeff's daughter interrupted Matthew and said, "And I didn't know better. Ultimately, the charges against the older Bumb were reduced to a misdemeanor. A FEW DAYS AFTER returning from his son's Oct. 13, 1995, military graduation in San Diego, Jeff and his wife, Elizabeth, got some appalling news: Their 14-year-old daughter had been involved in a sexual relationship with an older male cousin.